Friday 31 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah are too busy to deal with Halloween this year! Sorry for that! But we welcome yet another former VTV colleague

Thursday 30 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah happily welcome old VTV colleague Chris to Face The Day!

Sarah say:

Heidi and I were so pleased to see an old colleague of ours from VTV today named Chris. It's been a few years so we had some fun recalling and re-playing past jokes and catching up! Don't we look happy? We love blasts from the past. So nice to say helllloooooooooooooo to him (inside joke).

Wednesday 29 October 2008: Sarah's only picture today is the one of her sending in her vote for OBAMA!!!!!

Sarah says:

If I can vote from here all you Americans out there can and must vote!!!! In Belgium you HAVE TO vote and I think that is fantastic! I hope Americans go out in droves and

VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!!!!

Tuesday 28 October 2008: Heidi has a helmet head and Sarah is seeing starts and stripes and can't wait till 05 November!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah says:

It was a good day. Busy with good stuff! Seeing progress. Loving that. I am still waiting for news from New York though and unitil I get it, I'm going to be waiting and waiting for it with my fingers crossed and my hopes high!

Update just in: good news from New York! It all went okay. So-far-so-good. Whew...

Heidi says:

Woooo! I love that picture! a helmet head, ok, but a good helmet head! I might consider wearing this helmet daily as an accessoire!!!

Monday 27 October 2008: Could Sarah look more tired? And doesn't Heidi look tiny? And Face The Day welcomes Baby Marta Geers today!

Sarah says:
I just look awful and tired in the above photo. My lenses can't stand heat and the dry air. I think I'll just look worn-out from now until the summer! This is what aging seems to be about. You just can't hide the tiredness anymore. There's not enough cover-up or foundation out there to make me look awake. And the darkness - man, man, man is that a hard one. On the one hand, it's really cozy but on the other, it's depressing! Anyway - here's something lovely - look down below and baby Marta! You can see her with her mom Siska and her dad Benoit and with her new rainbow catapiller. It was great meeting Marta yesterday and seeing her happy parents.

Sunday 26 October 2008: This is Sarah just awake with big hair and a droopy eye! and Heidi... Heidi heidi heidi...

Sarah says:

It's not fair to only ever have the nice photos on here. So here you have me in all my morning glory. Big hair. Tired eyes. Morning breath! It's all there for you. I did get the crust out of my eyes for you just to be polite.

Heidi says:

I feel like the poster of Metropolis...

Sarah:

Here's my Post Secret pick of this week. I don't agree with it at all. I think Obama is the best choice anyone could make right now. Yes - both Obama and McCain are certainly not at all perfect. But Obama is 100% the better and best choice if you ask me. You didn't - but this is my blog (and Heidi's of course) and I really hope you Americans out there get out there and make your vote count and that you vote for Obama!

Saturday 25 October 2008: Sarah makes a new sort of quiche thanks to a friend's great recipe! And Nice'n'Hi-de-ho! give the best of themselves!

Heidi says:
wraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw! Madensuyu is in tha house! (see behind us on the screen)

Sarah says:

I'm not praying in the above photo so don't be shocked! Just thinking! Thinking about a lot lately! Cooking a lot on the weekends. It's something I have always loved but it's starting to feel like a hobby because I get such joy from it. I get time alone to think. It's very relaxing.

There above you see a spinach salad and a fantastic butternut squash - endive (witlof) quiche. My friend Steven gave me the recipe and I have to say it's GREAT!!! The texture aloe is divine. You just chop up the squash and cook it enough to get it soft but not mushy and add a bit of nutmeg and maybe a tiny bit of butter if you want. You do the same with endive (witlof) and add salt and pepper - cook the endive till it's browning a bit. Take two eggs mixed with some cream and add a little soysauce (that's what I did anyway) and mix that together. First put cheese on the bottom (on the dough bottom). Then put a layer of the squash, then a layer of the endive. Then pour the egg and cream mix over it. Add a little more cheses on the top if you want. Put it in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Enjoy it!!! The veggies in it are watery so if you don't want it to be too watery -- strain the water out first before puuting it all in the quich dough.

And the Post Secret from this week - late! I chose the below one because, well, you just get the sad feeling that it could be true. Let's hope not!!! I hope Obama gets elected and I hope he stays for 8 years!!! I really hope that no stupid crazy person gets any dumb ideas!!! America needs a guy like Obama right now!

Friday 24 October 2008: It's Nico and Sarah Face The Day at Heidi and Sarah Face The Day!

Sarah says:
Nico is Heidi's stand-in today. I saw him at the first stone-laying of De Kreun's future building in Kortrijk! You can see that stone behind us in the blurrrrrrrrrrrrr. It was good to be out with Tomske (Marv) Friday night. We need to get out more often. We have gotten so busy. It's really good to have some time out alone and with others.

Thursday 23 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah are having just another typical day...

Sarah says:

Sorry for this late posting but Blogger wasn't working last night and thedays are a bit manic anyway. Today I forgot my photo so I think Tonight I'll take today's photo. Heidi won't be where I am but Nico will be so maybe he'll step in for her. Or I'll find aomeone else! Don't mind Heidi there in the back. She's just acting in her usual manner...

Wednesday 22 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah are sniffing Lavender to stay calm...

Sarah says:

These are the lavender days for Heidi and me. When stressed, sniff! That's our new motto!

Tuesday 21 october 2008: Yma Yma Yma (sorry can't help it) and Sarah looks awake and happy even though she's tired and sad...

Heidi says: I know, it's overkill! But then again, it's my blog so I do what Iwant :). Moewahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Sarah says:

Look how happy and awake I look when in fact I am so tired and feeling blue. Just goes to show you - never judge a book by its cover... What we show on the outside isn't always reflective of how we're feeling on the inside.... as if you all didn't know that already... Good to be reminded of the old cliches sometimes...

Monday 20 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah only have time to say hi and Sarah is sorry about this photo...

Sarah says:
Hello and sorry for that view! I hate photos like that but it's the only one we had! I look tired and worn out. Sometimes I think I'll never look or feel awake again...

Later that day:
Today is the 20th of October which gets me thinking about my friend Peter who passed away from cancer a little more than a year ago. On this day last year, my husband and I went to visit Peter in the hospital. On that day it was quite clear to us that he wouldn't live much longer. We sort of knew this could be the last time we saw him. It wasn't though. We also saw him the 1st of November but he wasn't all there with us. He was suffering so much and not very coherent other than for a few moments here and there. That night he went into the hospital and about 19 days later his breathing was stopped. On the 20th of October we had a good talk with Peter. He was at the hospital undergoing chemo and he was busy filling in books for his kids - describing how he felt about them and letting them know a little more about himself. This was part of saying goodbye to his kids. That must have been the hardest part of his whole illness. Saying goodbye to his family and having his family have to say goodbye to him. I assume - but have no idea - that once you know you are going to die that you slowly start to let go of life and the people who are in it. It must be so difficult though to struggle with the idea that people will miss you - people you love so much and who are so dear to you and more so - who you are so dear to. You must just know that they will survive you and struggle with your being gone. You are gone so you have no notion once that happens - but thinking about all that must be really, really tough.

Anyway - that day I gave Peter a card telling him how I felt about him. I had so much more to say but it didn't fit in the card and also it didn't feel right pouring all my struggles with his death onto him. He had enough to deal with and at that point I can only guess that you really have to narrow down your goodbyes and feelings for those who truly mean the world to you - like your kids and partner and siblings and parents if they outlive you. Peter sent me a text message that night that I still have not been able to delete from my phone. It's his last written words to me. Short but sweet - typical Peter. I just can't erase those words yet. I have no idea when I will be able to. I'll be visiting Peter's grave for the first time since his funeral soon. I'm glad. I really miss him and just want to be there close to where his ashes were buried and speak to him in my head and have a quiet moment with only Peter in my thoughts. It makes me so sad to even think about it though. It feels so raw sometimes - while at other times it just feels like life and death and feels rational.

I'm glad I can check back to last year on this day and see what I was thinking via this link. And that I can also look back at other years when Peter was alive still and we were singing together and playing in a band and having fun or spending time with our kids and partners together. A year ago today after seeing Peter I also posted something my sister-in-law had put on her own blog about cancer. Via the above link you can find that. It gives us all something to think about for sure.

In looking back at last year's post on the 20th, I see that I also wished another friend of mine of 10 years a happy birthday. She hasn't died like Peter but it sure feels like she is gone and our friendship is sadly dead for certain as she ended it for reasons still unclear to me and I still really struggle with it because it is unfinished business that makes no sense to me. I wish she could have at least given me a reason other than that I hurt her. I have no idea at all what I did to hurt her. After 10 years of friendship you'd think an explanation is the least one deserves - especially because there were no fights or anything like that. It's so weird. I think I'll never understand it. I guess one day it just won't hurt anymore. It's a reflex to want to wish her a happy birthday today like I have for the last 10 years and stop by her shop and give her some love - but the love is gone and my heart hurts just thinking about her - still.... When does that ache stop? I haven't written about this topic on here until now because it just didn't come out of me without anger so I didn't let it come out. Now it's not anger, it's just sadness...

Sunday 19 October 2008: Sarah has a sleepy Sunday cooking and check out her kid's school photo(s)...and Heidi spends time with family!

Sarah says:
I'm so tired. I feel worn out. All I really did today was talk to some family and friends and then cooked. But I am ready to hit the sack already! I made s great roasted pumpkin, red-pepper, apple, onion, ginger, garlic, brown-sugar, butter, thyme veggie mix as well as a pumpkin, sweet potato, coriander soup. Very delish and gave me some time alone to think a bit in the kitchen and to listen to music.
Above you can see my kid's school picture for 4th grade and below from 4th grade right on down to the first year of kindergarden. She's growing up fast!
Heidi says:

Another nice family day with my... family, this time with my brother Joris and his wife Miek, their son Jesse, my mother and father and of course Nico and Yma! A sweet afternoon!

Yma playing baby

Yma and Jesse

Saturday 18 October 2008: Sarah gets terribly close to a landing hot air balloon on the egg of Kortrijk and Heidi has fun with babyma and Nice!

Heidi says:
fun!!!!

Sarah says:
On our way home from a day out in Gent today, we saw a hot-air balloon sooooooo close to the exit and almost hitting into lamp posts on the roadway! You can see it behind me above after it hit the ground. It was weird to see it tilt over on one side so full of people than bounce back up. Below you can see a nice shot of it just after it went right over the exit road. I have always dreamt of going up in such a balloon but now that I have seen how it can land hard, I think it would be too dangerous for my back as the prostheses in my lower back means I can never jum again without possibily hurting myself badly and the landing certainly looked like a big jump. So I guess that dream, like the oen of jumping out of a plane with a parachute, is gone... My almost 90 year old bad-ass aunt can do it but not me!!!
And there below you see a very, very tired me with the light of my life! Funny how she's starting to look more and more like me. It's about time! I have had this very Belgian-looking daughter for all these years! That hasn't changed of course, but something in her face and expression is really similar to mine. It's not really important but it still feels good to see it. I have no idea why that is - it just is...

Friday 17 October 2008: Sarah's friend Erika meets Ozark Henry and Sarah's old friend Per in New York city at an Ozark concert as Sarah looks on...

Sarah says:
Heidi and I with Erika from afar! Life is so fast with computers and Internet! So funny to get photos from Erika the day after she had a night out with an old Denmark Journalism school friend Per and with Piet from Ozark Henry at his show last night in New York city! I love all these worlds connecting.

There's Erika with Piet from Ozark Henry after his NYC gig. They could be brother and sister.
There's Erika with Per. Here's the story - I had met Tom in Utrecht at the journalism school there. We fell in love. We were together for a nice 5 months or so. I went to Aarhus with Tom very heavy in my head because of course I wanted to stay with him but I couldn't figure out how we could do that with him in Belgium and me in New York without marrying and I wasn't ready for that yet and nor was he. So I felt confused!

I ran into Per at school in Denmark and like Tom, he was friendly, he was an aspiring journalist, he loved music as I recall, he had long hair, he was smart! But unlike Tom, he had an American passport and it turns out he was born at same NY hospital I was. I heard that and I was "in love"! Well -- not in love really but certainly it looked like an escape route in my messed up little head! So I had a crush on Per for a few months even though we hardly even spoke! We were friendly to each other but that was it! The rest was in my head - my messed up head! Anyway - the rest is history as you know! Thankfully Per probably hardly knew I existed so I didn't cheat on Tom or make any bad moves! And marrying Tom was the best thing I ever did because he's great and because we had Ayla of course!!!! So it's really funny to see Erika on here with Per! He's still cute though! That's for sure! And come to think of it - he and Erika look alike too! I was probably just falling for him because I wanted a male version of Erika! Sick in the head! Messed up minds back then! :-)

I really love all these connections to Belgium, New York, Norway, you name it! I love when all these worlds meet of past and present and here and there! Gives me good cheer.

Thursday 16 October 2008: part 2 - Sarah was confused. Her photo for the 15th is in post before this one and here is the one for the 16th...

Sarah says:

Proof I was in and out of Frankfurt and looking so tired! The bookfair was great though!

Thursday 16 October 2008: heidi is tired and so is Sarah in yet another hotel room late at night in a German city...

Sarah says:

So tired in that photo in a hotel room in Frankfurt...

Heidi says:

I am tired. Can you tell?

The last nights, our little Yma wakes us up in the middle of the night, because her little lamp went out. We have to hop out of our bed to put it on again, but then we are awake for at least an hour... I am now building up a big loss of sleep, and that is something I struggle with... I start to look like a corpse... :)

Wednesday 15 October 2008: Sarah is Heidi's shrink nuts herself and it's one couch of crazies today...

Sarah says:
bye bye! Frankfurt needs me! I leave you with a nutty grin. In case my plane crashes, remember me this way! :-) You'd think the more I travel the less paranoid I'd become. But I just see it as increasing the odds that something could go wrong! Strange! See you here late tomorrow or Friday!

Heidi says:

I am a little bit lost today (and the two passed days too). I'm tired, feel not perfectly happy, feel like I'm out of balance... Fall, maybe?

To make my (and your) day a bit better, these are pictures of Yma of last Sunday. My sweet baby...

Tuesday 14 October 2008: Heidi and Sarah (Meg and Jack White in red and black) are finally together in a photo again after what seems like ages!

Sarah says:

Life is busy these days on all fronts. Heidi and I don't have time or simply forget to take photos together! So here you have one above - very up close! Looking straight at ya! Heidi and Sarah love you! Don't forget that ever!

I'm off to the Frankfurt book fair tomorrow! On the road again! The weekend will be here sooner than I know it! Time is flying way too fast! I wish things would slow down a bit but that's how it goes I guess and I prefer being busy to not being busy so all is well!

Monday 13 October 2008: If Sarah were the praying type she'd be praying now. Instead she's voting. It's her duty. She's hopeful. She's scared...

Sarah says:
Since I don't pray, I'll hope! I have a lot to hope for! We all do. On so many levels...

Please don't look the other way! Vote! Get out and vote! Even if you don't like either candidate! Vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (for Obama please :-)

Sunday 12 October 2008: Sarah cooks up something special for y'all!

Sarah says:
I wanted pumpkin and there happened to be a recipe with pumpkin in the Saturday newspaper so I got the stuff I needed and made this on Sunday. It's just a chicken fillet with some spices and red pepper surrounded by slices of pumpkin covered in a little bit of light cream and put in the oven for 30 minutes with some sea salt and black pepper and olive oil as well as marjoram, oregano and nutmeg. Very tasty!
You know you want some right now!
As for Post Secrets, well my daughter told me she doesn't want my body when she grows up because my butt has no shape. She actually told me she would choose Heidi's body if she had the choice! Nice one kiddo!!!! But I understand! I think I'd choose Heidi's body over mine any day as well, which is sad, but true. I just hope my kid grows up healthy and happy. She apparently wants hips but she doesn't want a fat or a shapeless butt. This - the mind of the 9 year old - hence the below Post Secret picks of the week!